The lord of life and death

Rain took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the snow-covered land littered with broken mechanical trees, sparks flickering from their exposed wiring. The scene was eerily silent now, the fight behind them, but the tension lingered as the group stood around the lifeless cocoon. They had found Callum, but the real question remained—was he alive or dead?

Jeff, filled with determination, stepped forward. "Let's open the cocoon and pull Callum out," he declared, already moving closer to inspect the strange, smooth surface of the cocoon. Finding no visible opening, Jeff's hand began to glow with his condensed genetic energy, ready to cut it open.

"Stop!" Sky's voice rang out, sharp and commanding, cutting through the moment. Jeff froze mid-action, turning to her with a confused expression. "What's the problem?" he asked, frustration flickering in his eyes.

Sky's expression remained firm. "The research institute wants the cocoon intact, undamaged."

Jeff's frustration was immediate. "But… when are they coming?"

"Ten minutes," Sky responded evenly, trying to maintain calm.

Liam's voice cut in, sharp with worry. "If Callum's in critical condition, those ten minutes could be the difference between life and death."

Jeff hesitated, torn between following orders and the growing urgency. He turned to Paige. "Can you check if Callum's okay?"

Rain watched carefully, noting Paige's red eyes glowing faintly as she activated her genetic ability. It reminded him of the Red-Pupil Crow genetic medicine. But after a few tense seconds, Paige shook her head in frustration.

"Whatever this cocoon is made of, it's blocking my ability," she muttered through clenched teeth.

Jeff kicked a broken mechanical tree in anger. "Dammit! We fought so hard to find him, and now we can't even tell if he's alive or dead."

The group stood in shared frustration, feeling the weight of their helplessness. Sky spoke again, "The institute said we could open the cocoon, but we can't damage it."

Lily's voice broke through the tension with a spark of realization. "There has to be a way to open it. Francis had to get Callum in somehow."

Liam moved quickly, running his hands over every inch of the cocoon, searching for a hidden latch. "Nothing," he muttered in frustration.

Without a word, Sky stepped forward, her face calm but focused. "Back off," she instructed, placing her hands on either side of the cocoon. A soft, transparent energy began to pulse from her hands, slowly enveloping the cocoon.

"Found it," Sky said, her voice steady. The cocoon responded, unfolding like a lotus flower. Inside, Callum lay connected to the cocoon by a series of vines that pierced his skin. Sky carefully touched him, checking his vitals. "He's alive," she confirmed, "but we can't pull him out yet. These vines are directly inserted into his body. Removing them too quickly could cause severe bleeding."

Rain watched in awe, wondering how Sky had managed to unlock the cocoon. Jeff voiced what everyone was thinking. "Miss Sky, how did you open it?"

Sky glanced back, her expression still calm. "I turned my genetic energy into wind, and it revealed a hidden switch. The switch can't be pressed physically—you have to use genetic energy to trigger it."

A wave of relief washed over the group as the research institute's vehicle approached in the distance. Smiles crept onto their faces, knowing Callum was alive and help was on the way.

Rain heard the familiar sound of a jet approaching, its hum echoing through the broken trees. As the jet hovered above the ground, unable to land due to the debris, three men in white coats jumped down, followed by two guards dressed in black. The men, clearly researchers, wasted no time and hurried toward the cocoon, inspecting it with intense focus.

Everyone stood watching for a moment, tension thick in the air. Sky finally broke the silence. "Is everything alright?"

One of the researchers looked up briefly, nodding. "The cocoon is intact, not damaged."

Liam's frustration was evident as he stepped forward. "What about Callum? Is he going to be okay?"

The researcher gave a nonchalant glance at Callum. "Oh, him? He seems stable. Only 40 percent of his bones have been transformed into iron wood. We'll need further tests."

Liam's eyes narrowed. "Then can you disengage him from the cocoon?"

With a nod, the lead researcher signaled to the others, and they began pulling the vines out of Callum. Rain's eyes widened as blood oozed from the wounds where the vines had torn free. He stood speechless, shocked at how carelessly they were handling the procedure.

Liam, unable to stay silent, shouted, "What are you doing?" He moved forward to stop them, but the two guards blocked his path.

The researcher, unfazed, waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. He's taken Super Healing Lizard genetic medicine. These injuries are nothing." As if to prove his point, he touched one of the wounds where a vine had been ripped out, wiping away the blood to reveal that the muscle had already healed and the skin had knitted back together. It was as if the injury had never happened.

Rain reflected for a moment, recalling that Callum's genetic medicine was the same as his own. His thoughts drifted to how his own skin and muscles had regenerated after being melted by acid—what had taken hours for him, Callum would recover from just as swiftly. The vines being ripped from his body, though alarming, were likely only causing minor injuries thanks to his enhanced healing abilities.

As the last of the vines were torn free, one of the researchers gave a curt nod. "Take him," he ordered, and Liam stepped forward, gently lifting Callum into his arms.

"You can use the jet to take him to the hospital," the researcher added.

Jeff immediately responded, "Our team will take him."

Sky nodded in agreement. "Let us know how he's doing."

Rain watched as Jeff and his team carefully boarded the jet with Callum, the craft soon taking off into the distance. Moments later, another jet appeared, hovering just above the ground as it prepared to land.

Sky turned to the researcher. "Do you need anything else from us?"

The researcher shook his head. "No, your team can leave."

With a final nod, Sky motioned for them to board the jet. Rain followed, his mind still reeling from the day's events. In minutes, they landed behind their office building, disembarked, and made their way inside. Soon, they were seated around a large circular table, the weight of the mission still heavy in the air.

Sky began, "From this mission, we've confirmed Francis's clone is still in the city. He may attempt to capture more citizens for his experiments. Callum was lucky today, but if it were anyone else, we might not have even known they were missing. We must stop him before his experiments cause more deaths. Over a thousand people have already died."

Everyone nodded grimly. Damian spoke up, "His clone had Peak D-rank energy, but that mirror ability is a problem. I couldn't land a single hit on my clone."

Sky turned to Rain, "I noticed you had no trouble with yours."

Rain hesitated, knowing he couldn't mention his dream space experience. Carefully, he replied, "The mirror clone's combat ability mirrored mine exactly, so I predicted its moves by thinking through what I would do next."

Damian added, "It copied me completely. None of my attacks landed."

Rain couldn't help but wonder, "Sky, how did Francis copy my combat ability without ever fighting me?"

Damian, Lily, and Siobhan all looked at Sky with curiosity. After a brief silence, Sky spoke. "I wasn't sure whether to tell you this, but here's the truth: the A-rank realm is split into two stages—A-rank and Titled A-rank. Francis is in the Titled A-rank realm, with the title 'Mirror Man.'"

Rain raised his eyebrows; this was the first time he had heard about such a division.

Lily asked, "What's the difference between the two realms?" 

Sky leaned back in her chair and smiled. "Let's order some food, I'm starving." Everyone quickly agreed and gave their orders. Rain decided on dumplings.

As they waited for the food, Sky continued explaining. "The difference between A-rank and Titled A-rank lies in something profound—the laws of the world."

Damian frowned, curious. "Laws?"

Sky nodded. "Yes, the laws of nature. For instance, fire is always hot, and ice is always cold. But a Titled A-rank touches these laws. They can bend them, making fire as cold as ice or ice as hot as fire in a specific area, if they wish—sometimes even permanently. But they rarely do, because altering the world's laws comes with punishment."

Siobhan raised an eyebrow. "Punishment? From whom?"

Sky shrugged slightly. "No one knows for sure. Some say it's a force that maintains balance in the universe. There are a lot of theories."

Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their food. Rain stood and went to get it, bringing the bags back to the table. The scent of freshly cooked meals filled the room, and soon everyone was eagerly digging into their food.

As they ate, Rain's thoughts drifted to their upcoming mission. In a week, they were set to enter the Sheep Farm weird domain, and he knew each domain had its own strange set of rules. He decided to ask, "How is the Sheep Farm weird domain? What makes it unique?"

Damian swallowed his food and leaned forward. "It's named Sheep Farm for a reason. When you stay in the domain, it slowly transforms any living creature into sheep. Once the sheep reach a certain number, the domain spawns packs of wolves to hunt them down."

Siobhan frowned. "What happens after the wolves kill all the sheep? Do they just disappear?"

Lily shook her head, her tone serious. "No, the wolves don't vanish. Instead, they grow stronger with time. Once all the wolves are killed, the domain resets—again sheep appear, and then wolves come to hunt them down."

Rain pondered their mission, realizing the gravity of their task. "So our job is to kill the wolves, right? To stop the domain from growing stronger and spreading?" he asked, trying to connect the dots. The creatures inside a weird domain directly influenced its strength, and the more powerful they became, the more dangerous the domain itself would become.

Sky interjected, shaking her head slightly. "No, not just to kill the wolves. Our task is to get in before the wolves are even created and protect the sheep. After that, we're supposed to bring the sheep back to the city."

Rain raised an eyebrow. "Sheep?" It sounded strange to him that a mission involving the protection of sheep could be so critical.

Damian took a sip of water before elaborating. "When the city first cleared the domain, it was during the early days, right after the city was founded. At first, they didn't know much about the domain, but after some research, they realized that the domain transforms living creatures into sheep. Some bright researcher had the idea—what if we put sheep in there on purpose?"

Rain leaned forward, intrigued by this piece of history. "But aren't all animals extraordinary now? I mean, after the Cataclysm, there aren't any ordinary creatures left. Wouldn't putting extraordinary sheep in the domain just make it more powerful?"

Damian nodded. "Exactly. After the Cataclysm, all animals, even simple livestock, became extraordinary. If they'd put extraordinary sheep in there, the domain would have grown stronger and more dangerous. That's when the city came up with the idea of cloning ordinary sheep—normal ones, like before the Cataclysm—and placing them inside the domain. It worked."

Sky picked up from there, "In two months, those ordinary cloned sheep transformed into iron wool sheep, a D-rank animal with enhanced durability and wool that's as tough as metal. It became a resource point for the city. Every three months, they harvest the iron wool sheep, keeping the domain in check and benefiting from its resources."